Rakudai Kishi no Cavalry - Path of the Shura
by Shadow Finesse
Summary: Ikki Kurogane had a harsh past, a family who never acknowledged him, a society which looked down on him. He fought through all that to become who he is today. But he possesses a secret which even he can't recall. Now that secret is slowly coming to light... Contains OCs.
1. Chapter 1

**Phew, Finally got the fanfic out. Hi guys, this is my first fanfic and I decided to start my writing from Rakudai. I don't have any Beta reader but I will do my best to deliver the chapters without any grammatical errors. Now, if you read through all that all you need to do now is read and enjoy the story.**

 _ **P.S: This is my first time writing a fanfic so please bear with my style of writing as it's not really what you would call…. polished.**_

* * *

I am the demise from the distant summit. My name is "Twin wings" Edelweiss. I split the heaven and the earth with these two blades. Childish lad, I shall show you how wide this world is.

Saying so Edelweiss took her battle stance. Ikki was already sweating from the swordsman spirit radiated by Edelweiss. Her figure started to become blurry, his conscious was ripping itself apart. Ikki knew if he were to lower his guard for even a second his body would shut itself down. Such was the pressure radiated by Edelweiss.

"Bear no ill intent towards me, lad."

Saying so Edelweiss pointed the blade at Ikki. She moved swiftly towards Ikki, covering the distance between them at a lightning pace. "Be still, it will be swift and painless." Saying so the blade in her left hand started to descend on Ikki.

" _She's fast. If I move intetsu a little I might be able to parry her thrust."_ Ikki readied himself for the blow.

Edelweiss disappeared from the spot she was standing and in blinding speed appeared before Ikki. With one swift strike she brought her sword down on him.

The earth trembled because of the strike. Dust flew, blacking out the view. Anyone who would have witnessed that would expect nothing of Ikki to remain.

"Dodged, huh"

Edelweiss turned around and saw the boy standing at the place she had been standing. Cloaked in blue aura flowing out of his body Ikki kurogane was standing there unharmed.

" This your noble art I take it. A technique which forces all the energy of the body in one minute. A smart decision which you took before my blade made contact. But..."

"Buahh..."Ikki spat out blood from his mouth and knelt down. Even though he had evaded the first sword, Edelweiss's second sword stuck him at the lower abdomen. Even though the cut was small blood was flowing.

"It appears that even though you moved on instinct, it was not suffice to dodge my sword. But that in itself is an impressive feat. I can't remember the last time someone so young and skilled appeared before me. It would definitely be a waste to kill you. I will give you another chance to leave this place. If you should choose to leave, it matters not to me and as such I will not give chase.

 _As I thought this person is really….kind._

"Thank you for your offer, but if I leave you will go after my sister, no? As such I will not be able to do that. Besides..." pointing his sword at her "it's not every day you get to fight the no.1 swordsman in the world."

After saying so Ikki's figure disappeared from the spot he was standing and reappeared in front of edelweiss.

"hou… But not enough"

Edelweiss swung her sword to cut Ikki in half but to her astonishment it went right through him.

 _An Afterimage!_

She looked around to see multiple images of Ikki moving around her. It wasn't fast enough for all of them to be without fading away, but as one image disappeared another one replaced it.

 _The forth secret sword, shinkirou!_

 _At such a young age too.. it's a shame that I have to kill him_ edelweiss raised both of her swords.

 _Flüssig Strömung!_

Edelweiss, in one fluid motion like flowing water, cut all the images. She expected Ikki to be damaged as he would be among the images but…

"All of them were after images! Then where is he now?"

Ikki knew if he were to draw this battle out it would obviously be his he had to end it in one swoop. He was now falling down on edelweiss from the sky." _With the combined momentum if I use saigeki I should be able to end this"_

 _The first secret sword, saigeki!_

Ikki made his body streamlined so as to reduce air resistance and increase his momentum.

"From up huh..." Edelweiss said while looking up "then..." She started bringing her sword in an upward arc so as to cut Ikki but before reaching even her sword's length Ikki's image once again disappeared and appeared in front of her. He was ready to strike with sword held high above his head.

Ikki knew if it came to a clash of raw power then he would stand no chance at all. But if it was about tactics, then he had the win in his bag.

The strange thing about edelweiss was that when she moved there was no sound. Sound was produced due to the dispersion of energy in different directions. It was possible for a person to move without sound if they could control all their energy and move with 100% efficiency.

 _I can use this to my advantage._ Ikki had never seen people able to do such a thing but it was evident that edelweiss could. But it also meant that edelweiss's energy was in a very ordered manner than that of normal people. If that was true then the following move would end this battle.

 _The sixth secret sword, Dokuga no tachi!_

Among his original sword technique's Dokuga no tachi was a technique meant to discourage his opponent from further action. The principle behind the technique was to simultaneously have the muscles contract and expand with the sword swing. The resultant would be a shock wave. When this shockwave hit the opponent it would disrupt the body like a drop of water causing ripples when it falls on a water surface.

"It ends here" declared Ikki as he swung Intetsu down on edelweiss's collar bone.

Blood gushed forth after Intetsu made contact.

" _How is this possible"_ a voice resounded in that person's mind.

That person was Ikki kurogane. He could not believe what was happening yet he knew the reason why. Dokuga no tachi worked by sending shockwaves into the opponent's body to destroy them from the inside out. However if the opponent themselves did the same thing on a larger scale the attack would backfire on the user. That is what happened in this case.

"…You still wish to continue?"

Ikki's action had made Edelweiss's heart waver just a little. She asked the knight who was now breathing over her shoulder, yet still grasping the broken shard of his crystallised soul.

"It is plain to see that with the difference in our strength, you cannot even hope to win by chance. The sword formed from your soul is broken, your consciousness faint. Your body can no longer fight either. Despite that, why do you hinder me? I have no desire to injure children unreasonably. Since the beginning, I had no intention of killing you or your sister. Compared to keeping me here, you are putting your little sister in danger. Lord Wallenstein is not one to show children mercy, I fear. …Do you not also know this?"

At that question, Ikki nodded while breathing heavily.

"Yes… I know…. You're a kind person."

"If so, why?"

"…Because Shizuku doesn't want that."

Ikki, keeping himself awake with pure will, stared back at Edelweiss through his blurred eyes and answered with the reason that he had not yet surrendered.

"If I let you go… maybe Shizuku will be saved. But Alice won't be!"

"―That boy is a criminal, a member of society's underworld. Such a fate is inevitable."

"Maybe so. But Shizuku doesn't want that. She came here because she doesn't want that! And I promised to follow what Shizuku wanted!"

Therefore―

"Even if I die, I won't surrender here!"

At that answer, Edelweiss's noble face turned in confusion.

"Even if you die? You don't hold your life so cheaply, do you? Having cross blades with you, I know how strong the ambition and longing is inside of you. You too have a dream. You too have someone important. Despite that, you don't mind losing your life here?"

At the perplexed question, Ikki returned a weak smile.

"This is… the first time."

"First?"

"Yes… the first. That Shizuku has depended on me."

Ikki spoke as he thought back on his relationship with Shizuku.

"I've always been worried about it. As an older brother, I've never done anything for her. Yet that girl was always idolizing and loving me as her older brother. And today, my little sister has something she wishes for, and is relying on me."

To this useless older brother, she had entrusted her hopes.

"That's all the reason I need to risk my life…!"

That was why he wouldn't surrender. Not here. He wouldn't surrender here. The one wish of his good little sister, who did impious things but always supported him. If he didn't put his life on the line here, what kind of brother was he!?

"With my weakness, I'll hold your strength here!"

As long as he was alive, he would not let her leave. Holding this strong will and resolve, Ikki stood in Edelweiss's way. And Edelweiss could see that resolve shining in his eyes.

What strong will. Are these the eyes of a boy who's only just had his coming of age?

Her breath was taken away. Such strength, such ambition. And not only that, but the noble spirit to risk his life for the sake of others.

It's been a long time, hasn't it? That I've met a person as beautiful as this.

"Young man. May I have your name?"

"…Ikki Kurogane."

"Kurogane―I will apologize for my impoliteness up until now. Young warrior."

Declaring this, Edelweiss leaped backwards lightly.

Opening a wide distance between herself and Ikki―

"You are not a child who needs to be protected. You are a man capable of witnessing my full strength as a knight. So… with the strongest sword in the world, I will slay a knight such as you."

For the first time this night, the world's strongest swordsman was serious. At that moment, a sword spirit that couldn't be compared to anything up until now poured out from Edelweiss's body. And similarly, a storm of light. Dust roiled up, and the trees creaked, and every glass window broke into tiny pieces.

A single human. While a presence unimaginably huge for a human body's dimensions spread forth, Twin-Wings Edelweiss spread the blades in both hands like wings―

"Prepare yourself."

―and soared.

Not as a child who should be protected, but as a knight whom she should show gratitude, she was aiming at one she recognized as an enemy. In order to sever that enemy's life absolutely―!

Just before things had become complicated, Ikki had certainly felt it. The footsteps of the reaper. The presence of a sharp sword that would cut away his future. If he defended, he would die―

But be that as it may, now was not like the situation then. It was different from the fight before, where he could underestimate his opponent or retreat. The forward speed of Edelweiss in seriousness could not be compared to that. To say nothing of swordsmanship, this was already to the point where Edelweiss's form had changed to light itself―

* * *

"Huff...huff"

Botan hagure was currently running across the Hagun academy ground with her sister Kikyo Hagure, in an attempt to get to safety. They were currently being chased by the seven member team of Akatsuki academy's representative's. As per order of the student council president Touka they were trying to get away as the student council bought them time. Kikyo, being more physically stronger, was carrying Stella on her back as they were running away.

"Do you think we can escape from them?" questioned Botan.

"I would rather not think about it."

"But we need some kind of plan. Surely we can't face them and hope to win!"

"I know that and that's why we are going to keep running to buy time. Today's the day Director Shinguuji and Saikyou sensei return from Osaka. If we can evade the Akatsuki group till they arrive we can survive this!" declared Kikyo.

"That is a good idea, if it would work."

A voice ran out from the silent air.

Kikyo and Botan stopped immediately and materialised their devices. If it was a member of Akatsuki academy they could only hope to distract them and escape. However that thought evaporated into the air when they set their eyes on the person appearing before them.

With the presence of a mountain, clad in traditional Japanese dress, 'Sword Emperor of the wind' Ouma Kurogane stood before them. His very presence made them shiver. They had clearly seen what he was capable of when he defeated, no…almost killed Stella with his attack. If it weren't for Touka saving her, it would be questionable if Stella would be here, sleeping on Kikyo's back. If it were some other member they would at least have the courage to put up a fight, but once they saw Ouma they stood in their places paralysed by fear.

"Pitiful, this is _really_ pitiful. Since the others were quarrelling I decided to go ahead and scout your location but to think you could cover only this much leaves me at a loss of words."

"Did you come here just to mock us or did you come to finish us off? Sword emperor of the wind." Botan materialised her device and positioned herself between Kikyo and Ouma. She would not, under any circumstance, allow this man to finish off the _three_ of them. If anything she would at least buy time for Kikyo to escape with the unconscious Stella.

Even though Kikyo was about to voice her protest one look of Botan's face made her realise what her little sister was trying to pull off. Botan had always been in her shadow and was well aware of that. Yet she never gave up trying to catch to her. The result of her hard work was getting selected as a representative for Hagun Academy. She seem to have already accepted that both of them stood no chance in the current Seven Swords Art Festival with members of Rebellion participating. So she was trying to save her friend and fellow representative Stella from being incapacitated.

Once she understood this, she resolved herself to escape once Botan had distracted Ouma. It was a perfect plan and would have worked had the opponent not been the person standing before them.

"After seeing my capability, you still challenge me? You know that you have no chance of winning even if you attack together but that being said, your act as a Mage-Knight is commendable, therefore, just this once I shall try to make it as painless as possible."

"What do you mean by th…"Botan never did have the time to finish her sentence. For her concentration was drawn by the huge amount of magic being concentrated by Ouma into his device. Strong winds gushed forth; collecting debris and piling it layer over layer till it stood as tall as a tower.

This was the same noble art which had taken down Stella. Botan and Kikyo Hagure stood filled with fear as they watched the massive blade of wind form before them.

"As I thought… It gets weakened by the third usage" Ouma clicked his tongue.

Those words sent shiver through both off them. Kikyo tried to stand but it was clear from her shaking knees that she was scared to the core. Botan was, however, in a better shape.

" _If that attack hits us we're done for good. If I take the brunt of the attack the Sword Emperor shouldn't be able to move for some time. Kikyo can escape with Stella in that gap"_ is what she had thought before Ouma said "you may be thinking that after this attack I will not be able to move due the magic usage. Worry not! Even if I don't have magic my sword will be enough to do away with your sister."

" _You would be right if it was someone else, but since it's me, you're wrong this time"_

Ouma was focusing on Botan too much that it had given Kikyo enough time to prepare her noble art.

" _Forgive me Botan… I'll come back with help as soon as possible"_ Kikyo, with her back turned to Ouma and Botan, took a step forward and activated her noble art. With the speed enhancement Kikyo momentarily disappeared from their sights and appeared 10 metres away.

Once Ouma turned his head in her direction, Kikyo had slowed down but was still moving at a speed which would put professional runners to shame. "High speed movement, it seems I have miscalculated" as Ouma finished his sentence Botan came in front of him, blocking his view of Kikyo.

"Not so fast, _Sword Emperor_. If you want her you'll have to go through me first."

To that taunt Botan did not hear a verbal answer, but saw that ever frightening blade of wind come down towards her.

 _Kusanagi_

That was all Botan heard before strong winds crashed into her, hitting her with debris and tossing her to the side.

Feeling the pressure Kikyo turned her head ever so slightly to see what was happening behind and all she could she was a wall of wind and a pile of debris with it. Before she could process what she saw she got hit by it and was flung further along the pathway.

Once the dust had settled down, Ouma raised his head to see what his 'targets' had become of. Botan, who took the brunt of the attack, was lying on the ground and from the looks of a streak of blood coming out of her mouth and judging by her position, she most probably had landed the side of her chest and broken a few ribs. Her sister, who was also laying face side in the pathway, was only unconscious.

"Now then, let's put an end to …." Paused Ouma as he realized something was awfully wrong. The Crimson Princess was nowhere to be seen. As he scanned through his surroundings a voice rang throught the air.

" _Houu~_ to think the ever stoic Ouma would ever chase after girls, life sure does have its surprises"

Ouma was shocked to hear that voice and thoughts like " _No way, Impossible, There's no way"_ started to go through his head. But before that thought train reached its destination a silhouette of a person appeared in front of him.

"If you have time for speculation then you should have probably prepared yourself to defend. Not that it matters anymore." Ouma focused his sight in front of him and saw a girl in the Hagun Academy uniform standing there.

"You're…" was all Ouma could say before the girl brought her hand down.

"Now lay frozen here like a good boy" prounced the girl as she snapped her fingers.

In a second, Ouma was frozen solid, along with his sword.

The human mind is the greatest processor in this world. But, at times of panic the brain, unable to take in information, resorts to shut itself down. This is what was happening currently to Botan. What had transpired before their eyes would leave anyone- no, any _normal_ person speechless.

"So how long are you going to be gapping at me?" The feminine voice questioned. This broke her out of the trance she was in and threw her eyes on the girl standing before her, who had singlehandedly encased the sword emperor in a pillar of ice. The girl's hair was a blue which would seem like an in-between water and ice; it was neither too dark nor too light but was in the correct texture to be called medium. Unlike the Japanese whose hair would be flowing straight, her hair had a wavy pattern and from her looks she seemed to be a foreigner like Stella.

"Who are you?"

"Well~… For now I am a student of Hagun Academy like you guys."

"And…. That doesn't explain anything"

"Well, we're hardly in a situation where you can expect a detailed answer. Now, can you or can you not move?"

"My rib seems to have cracked but other than that my body is pretty much functioning"

"Good"

The mysterious girl walked towards Botan, with Stella on her back, and touched her. Once she felt the touch Botan felt a flow of energy through her. Slowly, the pain in her ribs started to fade.

"How did you…."

Seeing the inquisitive look on her face, the girl simply motioned towards her sister and said

"Running first, Questions later sweetie. Now since you're okay, I suggest you pick up your sister and we start moving from here before somebody finds us."

Botan got up, still bewildered about what was going on but had decided not to argue, and moved towards her sister, lifting and placing her on her back before returning to the side of the mysterious girl.

"I trust that you're ready, good. Now let's get out here." After which she snapped her fingers, enshrouding the whole campus in mist.

* * *

Edelweiss stood silently over the fallen figure of Ikki Kurogane. This boy was the only person who, in recent times had been able to give her such a fight. She had shown him her true power and yet, this boy through his sheer willpower, was able to shift his stance a little. Now, a little may seem small but it was that small difference that had allowed him to live. Ikki Kurogane was unconscious but still alive.

" _That sword technique at the end was undoubtedly…."_ Edelweiss thought to herself.

"The boy's full of surprises isn't he eh, Edelweiss."

Edelweiss simply closed her eyes on hearing the voice, focusing her senses to discern the location of the owner.

"Oh come on now, no need to get so serious. I was planning to come out anyway so spare your effort"

The voice rang out again, this time in front of edelweiss where the space seemed to be warping and a person was coming out.

"This nonchalantly way of speaking and quirkiness… Funny to think I would meet you here in all of places."

The person now having stepped out fully was clearly visible. He sported the Hagun academy uniform with the vest tied at his hip in a knot and a katana sheathed in a blue scabbard was resting on his right shoulder, the end held by his right hand.

"It has been a long time boy… No, Travis líeg."

"That it has Edelweiss. It's been what… 5 years."

"Six years exactly"

"And I see you've grown more beautiful and more stoic" commented Travis.

"And I see you've picked the ungentle manly act of hitting on woman." returned Edelweiss

"Aww~ don't be like that now. I only do that for fun and besides, after what you've been through and seen, you can hardly pretend to be an innocent maiden."

"Keep going on like that and I'll tell you on Sylvia."

"Hey hey, no need for that now. I'll apologise if I hurt you but anything but that is out of question." Travis said waving his arms in the state of panic.

"Ufufu... you're still childish as ever." said Edelweiss sporting a rare smile

"Hey unlike you I want to live my youth with fulfilment. Besides..." Saying so he switched the katana into his left hand and grabbed the hilt by his right hand, whilst taking a battle stance.

"Kurono _oba chan_ would get angry if she found out that I was watching on the side-lines without doing anything while Ikki was giving his all. Now I intend to leave with him and the other two in the basement. What will your move be?"

"Well, if it is only Ikki then I don't have any objection, but the boy and girl have earned the wrath of Lord Wallenstein so unfortunately..."

Edelweiss pointed her twin swords towards Travis.

"I can't allow you."

"I knew it would come to this"

Travis gave off a weak smile.

"After such a long time, I too wanted to fight with you"

"Well that's assuring. Now enough with the pleasantries. If you won't start then I will."

"What could you ever mean by that Edelweiss?"

The comment Travis made to Edelweiss's statement would seem strange if not for the fact that Travis had already moved behind her with Ikki under his left arm and the sword raised in the right, clearly coming in for an attack.

" _So Fast"_

All Edelweiss could do was put up a guard and when the swords met, the impact was enough to push her a good distance backwards.

" _Neh..._ I heard you saying that you 'couldn't remember the last time a youth with so much skill appeared before you' to Ikki. That actually hurt my feelings a little, you know. So in return…"

Travis gripped the sword firmly and covered himself in a yellow aura and shot a menacing look with an equally menacing smile at edelweiss.

"Why don't I help you remember what it means… to have your blood boil in a battle."

" _It looks like if I hold back, I'll be on the short end of the stick"_

Edelweiss raised her own magic power and covered herself in a white aura.

"Now that's more like it" proclaimed Travis, preparing himself for another attack.

"Now come, _Raijin"_

"With pleasure, _Twin Wings"_

Shortly after the exchange, two auras of monstrous proportions collided, shaking the surroundings.

* * *

As the battle above continued, Shizuku, who had defeated Wallenstein walked towards Nagi Arisuin, who was sitting on the floor with his back to the wall because of his wounds, courtesy of a angry Wallenstein. Shizuku could barely keep her eyes open due to the sheer exhaustation Aoiro Rinne had caused her, physically and mentally.

 _"So this...is the...pain...Onii sama feels every time...he uses his Noble Art."_

"Why?"

As Shizuku was walking toward him, Arisuin questioned her.

"Even when I meant to betray you, lied to you and took advantage of your trust. Why? why would you go so far?"

Shizuku stood before Arisuin and they made eye contact. Her eyes glowed with resolution. After a few minutes, she opened her mouth to give him her answer.

"I chose to save you because I wanted to, Alice" saying so a tired Shizuku fell into Alice's hands which brought the young man to tears, tears of happiness which signified that he was no longer alone in this world. He had now something which most people did not know the significance of, a friend.

"Thank you Shizuku, thank you" was all Alice had to say. This state did not last for long as the roof started to crumble to give way to a hole through which two figures landed on the floor.

After the dust settled, Alice had set his sights on Edelweiss, which instinctively made him stand up, wrapping Shizuku in his school vest and holding her tighter. He materialised his device, ready for a fight.

"No need for that now, _Black Sonia"_ the voice of the other figure said to him. Alice turned his eyes to see a boy in the Hagun Academy uniform and more importantly, was holding an unconscious Ikki under one arm.

"Who are you?"

"Oh, I forgot to introduce myself didn't I? I am Travis, a student of Hagun Academy like you."

"I can see that from the uniform, but what I wanted to know is what you plan to do."

"Well… How does getting away from that _Old Lady_ over there sound?"

"I AM NOT OLD!" retorted Edelweiss.

"Oh really… Then how old are you?"

"That's…"

"Let me guess, 24?"

"I was 24 six years ago."

"That means your 30 now. See, you are old"

By the time Travis had finished his sentence Edelweiss was radiating such a killing intent that it made even an assassin like Arisuin tremble a little.

Edelweiss looked at the both of them while showing a smile that would make the strongest knights in the world feel their heart skip a beat.

" _If you call me old one more time…."_

"Okay, Okay I get it. Calm down will you"

Arisuin turned to Travis who was now standing beside him.

"You're crazy, you know that?"

"I get that a lot"

"And you plan to get the three, no, four of us out of this place after making the world's strongest swordsman angry?"

"I certainly intend to"

"Well, got any plan to back up that confidence"

"As a matter of fact, yes"

Travis faced Edelweiss and outstretched his right hand with his palm open. Then something which appeared to be a magic seal appeared in the air.

"Time to get serious, Edelweiss"

"Finally"

"Abyss Break"

A dark blast of energy was shot out of the seal towards Edelweiss. As the attack neared her Edelweiss brought both of her swords near her and held them such that the midpoint of the blade overlapped, creating an X shape. Once the attack hit, the ensuing blast covered the whole room in dust and smoke.

"That attack was weak; I seriously doubt you were trying to damage just now."

As she waited for a reply, the dust and smoke started to settle down. Once it had reached the level were full sight of the room, Edelweiss made a startling discovery.

Travis and the boy were nowhere to be seen. Only Lord Wallenstein's body was lying on the ground.

"Oi, up here"

As Edelweiss raised her head towards the now broken ceiling she saw Travis floating in the air, looking down on her. Under his left arm, he was holding an unconscious Ikki and with his right hand he held onto the left palm of Arisuin who was holding Shizuku who was wrapped in his vest. What appeared to be two white wings that were outstretched had formed on his back.

"Heh, sorry about that Edelweiss, But we have cut this fight off short with those no-goods from Akatsuki Academy still on the Hagun Academy campus. If I don't get back soon, there's no telling what Sylvia will do."

And it probably would get worse the more time he spent here.

Hearing Edelweiss just closed her eyes smiling ever so slightly. " _This is perhaps for the best"._

If they left this place, then she wouldn't have to follow them as she was only obliged to protect this stronghold. This worked in her favour also, as she could now say her debt had been paid off. " _Not to mention…"_ as that thought crossed her mind she started to laugh lightly.

"What are laughing about?" Travis said

At this Edelweiss started to laugh more loudly. In fact she laughed so hard it appeared that she had just seen a manzai duo perform.

"I'm serious what are you laughing about"

"It…it's…no...thing"

"First, you should clearly stop trying to talk when you're laughing. Second, if it's nothing then why are you laughing so much?"

"It's…just…" Edelweiss finally controlled herself and looked at Travis, still smiling mind you, and gave her reply.

"It's just so funny to see you when you're actually scared for a change."

On hearing that Travis started blushing slightly.

"Umm, I'm sorry if I'm interrupting something important, but shouldn't we be leaving". Arisuin said with his best smile, albeit sweating a little. When Travis turned his head to look at him, he couldn't help but feel sorry.

To put it in perspective, the embarrassment on Travis's face was completely replaced by that of pity. The poor boy had gone through so much today; it wouldn't be strange if his mind was currently stuck in trepidation. One thing was sure, once all this was over, Travis would have a lot of explanation to do if were to bring Arisuin back to his normal self.

"Yeah, your right. Well, if you don't mind Edelweiss we'll be taking our leave now."

Edelweiss just stood there, still giving of a gentle smile. It was as if she had forgotten what Travis had said to her just a few minutes ago.

" _At the very least, she won't come after us if we leave her in a good mood"_ Arisuin sighed in relief.

"Well then"

Travis started to raise himself higher and before he totally left Edelweiss's visibility he looked at her.

"See you around, Edelweiss _Oba chan"_

" _We're so screw…."_ Before Arisuin could complete that thought Travis blasted off into the sky.

After they left Edelweiss just stood there looking at the sky.

"….You know….I was actually going to let you go"

Her magic power started to burst forth in tremendous amounts, causing winds to whip up and push the debris which was surrounding her away.

"By the time I'm done with you" Edelweiss started coating herself in magic power. "You will understand that it is impolite to question a lady about her age."

She blasted off into the sky in hot pursuit.

* * *

 **AN: Hi guys, finally got the story out. Yay!**

 **On a different note, I would like to thank all my readers. I would find it extremely helpful if you left your opinions on how the story was so I can use it for improvement (** _ **No bashing though, please :3)**_

 **-Shadow Finesse**


	2. Chapter 2

**Okay, let me get this out first. I am deeply sorry for the delay in the continuation of the story. It's been what, 3/4 of a year since I published the first chapter? It's my complete mistake that this happened. I was naive to think it was easy to write Fanfiction. I totally underestimated the pacing and time to be invested to get a chapter done. Add the problems IRL and the delay just stretched on and on. I finally drew up a schedule when it comes to fanfiction, so you wont need to worry about the next chapter being late. And finally, my thanks to EternalKing, GenryuBlack94, ciel Blackblood, Blakegriffin89 and charlottendunois for following my story and a special thanks to giacomoX for the review.**

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"Umm….."

"Hmm… did you say something?"

In response to the faint sound Alice gave off, Travis turned his head a little to take a good look at him. He looked alright, the fear on his face had subsided but it looked like he still held some worries, the profuse sweating he had back at the Akatsuki School Building had decreased and his body was relaxed.

"What is it, Alice?"

"Well… I am not sure if I am in the position to ask, but are we heading towards Hagun Academy"

"So you noticed, huh? Well, I should have expected that from an assassin. They always have an impeccable sense of direction."

Alice scowled a little at that remark but he felt no ill will. After what he had done to his friends, even if he became hated and isolated once again, he would accept it, for that was the punishment for the deeds he had carried out.

"I don't mean to butt in, but you should keep those thought for _after_ you have a talk with your friends."

"Huh…."

The train of thought Alice was on had been stopped by Travis poking a statement in the middle. Alice looked up to meet his eyes.

"I can see where you are coming from. You betrayed all your friends by almost backstabbing them, and when you turned on a new leaf, you were the one backstabbed. You were probably planning on dying back there in that building at the hands of Wallenstein had Shizuku not interfered. Honestly, to an outsider like me, I feel like you got what you deserved"

Alice hung his head in silence, what Travis said was the obvious, he had deserved all this and more. If only he hadn't existed, if only he hadn't been born, then maybe…

"But it is also due to you that the frosted heart of Lorelei has started to thaw out. And you honestly did try to save all of them from Akatsuki Academy. I think that warrants some attention."

" _First, he condemns me. Now, he praises me. Just what is he trying to say?"_

"What I'm trying to say is that whether you make amends or decide to inflict self-punishment, you should do it after you apologize to your friends. After you hear what they have to say, you can take your decision. Besides, you wouldn't make that cute little girl in your hands cry again over you, would you?"

Alice looked down at the now asleep Shizuku in his arms. This girl had no reason to come after him, to fight for his sake and save him. Yet, she did all of that, all the while still clinging onto the notion of him being his friend.

"Yeah…. I wouldn't want that to happen."

By now, it was clear what path he had to take. He would no longer hide his true self behind a mask; no longer have to force a smile while blatantly lying. He was released from his shackles and could be who he was, all thanks to her.

"I mean even Ikki would not forgive you after something like that, and we all know how determined he is when he sets his mind on something. So, if I were you I would think twice before trying something like this again."

Travis gave a light laugh after finishing his sentence, followed by Alice joining in.

"You're probably right about that."

After the laughter had died down, Alice looked Travis straight in the eye.

"Tell me, Travis…"

"Yes?"

"Can you…."

"Go on"

"Read a person's mind?"

Alice could swear for one second that he could see the look on Travis's face turn into a dumbfounded one before returning to his usual expression.

"Hahaha... It seems like your witty humor has returned. To answer your question, I can't read a person's mind but I can get a gist of what they are thinking by looking at their eyes."

Saying so Travis started to laugh lightly, again and he continued to do so for some time.

Once Travis had stopped laughing and turned his head back to the front, Alice looked at his back and, again, posed a query.

"But in all seriousness, tell me. Fighting on par with the world's strongest swordsman, using magic capable of flight which even a person like me who has worked in the underworld for a long time cannot recognize. Who exactly are you, Travis?"

"You'll have to wait if you want a full explanation, but if you want a quick one, let's just say that I am….. a little different from all of you."

"Well, that much is evident from your display of skills. Guess I'll just have to wait."

"Glad you understand."

"However…. I would like to know what course of action you have planned once we reach Hagun. You're sorely mistaken if you think Stella _chan_ and the student council can hold their own against akatsuki academy. Not to mention we have the world's strongest swordsman in pursuit of us, all thanks to your unneeded patronization. I don't think even you, for all I have seen you do, would be able to take all of them on at the same time."

"I think that…"

"Yes?"

"Is totally debatable."

"Is this your way of paying me back, cause I think this isn't the time to be doing it."

"What do you mean? There is always time for payback!"

After uttering those words, Travis broke out into a haughty laugh, leading Alice's eyebrows twitch in annoyance.

" _Is this guy full to the head about himself or just plain stupid?"_

"I see that you don't think too high of me now" Travis stopped laughing and replied. "But worry not, I am the type to plan ahead and I have a friend down there that _should_ be having the situation in control."

"And I suppose he is as capable as you?"

"Actually, it's a she and she can fend for herself quite nicely, so no need to worry about that."

"Is that so? I wonder…"

"Head's up!"

"Wha…" was all Alice got to say before Travis ascended quickly, dodging an energy blast aimed at them.

"Tch… looks like she caught up. Well, it doesn't matter now since we're almost there."

Alice looked downwards, trying to get a look at the state Hagun Academy was in, but all he could see was white.

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought you said we were _near_ Hagun Academy."

"Yes, we are. Actually we're flying over it right now."

"Then why is it that all I can see are white clouds?"

Travis slipped a glance downwards and smiled weakly.

"Alice, I think you should look _closer."_

On Travis's behest, Alice looked down once again, this time, concentrating more.

" _And as if that is going to change what I se….."_

Alice's mind stopped thinking at this moment as it was overwhelmed at the sight. And so would any other person, for what Alice was beholding was the _entire_ Hagun Academy campus enshrouded in mist so thick, it looked like a pack of clouds from this height. To put that in perspective, the campus was said to span more than ten times the area of the Tokyo Dome.

Travis broke out in a grin at the sight.

" _And she tells me not to go overboard"_

A thought crossed Travis's mind as they started to descend towards the school ground.

"Huff…Huff.."

"Come on, we're almost there. Put some effort into it."

"Easy for you to say. You're not the one carrying a person who has three ribs broken. Do you know how careful I have to move so as to not aggravate the damage?"

"Well… I have done that before, trying to carry _three_ people to safety so I get where you're coming from, but, we are hardly in a position for this so I suggest you toughen up and keep moving"

Botan groaned as she realized that their savior was right. After healing her and enshrouding the entire campus in mist so thick you couldn't make a difference between tree and a building, the mysterious girl told her to pick up Kikyo and follow her. Even now she was moving ahead of her, far enough to be only a silhouette but close enough to remain in sight.

" _Well… If I don't stop complaining and start keeping up then I might lose sight of her and that wouldn't bode well in this mist."_

As Botan increased her speed in order to not lose sight of the girl, she could see the silhouette become a little more clearer and it only became more clearer as she moved nearer. After some more steps she found herself standing beside the girl who was now just standing with no motion.

"What's the matter? Why did you stop?"

To Botan who was looking at the girl's back while asking, it appeared as if the girl was just staring into the horizon, like she was looking for something. Then again, there was nothing to be seen as the whole academy was still covered in mist.

"Um.. Excu-"

"Get down"

"Wha-"

Before Botan could even get halfway through her sentence, the girl in front of her had crouched down and delivered a low kick to Botan's left shin. This alone wouldn't have been trouble but combined with the tiredness and the weight of her sister made her lose balance and fall forward, head first.

"..ch"

And she fell down with a thud. While it didn't cause any cuts it certainly hurt her jaw badly and in her current mood her tolerance for pain was reduced to a pitiful level. Naturally, her temper shot up as she looked at the girl with angry eyes.

"Hey, what's the big idea?"

As soon as she uttered those words, five white blades cut through the mist and flew over them. Her anger turned to horror as she realized they had passed through exactly where she had been standing. The blades would have met their mark had the girl not kicked her down.

"Looks like we've been found out"

As the girl helped Botan to stand up, four silhouettes appeared around them. As they got closer they could see who their adversaries were.

One was a small sized boy with yellow hair clad in a white uniform, Kyomon academy's Amane Shinomiya.

One was a girl whose face was surrounded by a scarf and was carrying a chain saw shaped device, Tonrou academy's Yui Tatara.

One was a tall girl who was wearing nothing but a apron and a pair of jeans to go with it, while carrying a brush in her hand, Rokuson academy's Sara Bloodlily.

The last figure was of a girl in pink with a eye patch over her left eye, riding on a lion with her maid behind her, Rentei academy's Rinna Kazamatsuri.

The remaining members of Akatsuki stood before them, completely blocking off anyways of escape. The situation, according to Botan at least, was grim.

"To think you made us go round an' round in circles all this time, makes me want to cut you to pieces."

"Now, now Yui san, you can't do that, we have our instruction."

"Well, if she can't cut them up, how about we burn them to a crisp. I could use the charcoal for my paintings"

"No Sara san, your missing the point."

"Kuku… How about we feed these lowly humans to my pet as fodder?"

"Were you even listening to what I was saying?"

And so as the three girls were caught up in a heated discussion on how to finish their adversaries, Amane was all the while trying to ring them in and make them settle down. To put in a sentence, it made for quite the sight.

" _Are they really the same people who were trying to kill us hours ago?_

Botan was thinking in her mind but it was all to obvious from her face's appearance.

"…mpf…mpf..hahaha"

The light laughter that came out from the girl carrying Stella caught every one's attention, causing them to turn their attention.

"What are you laughing at, you pretty faced bimbo!"

"Ara, That's some harsh words to say to a person you just met. You know, I'm beginning to think you wrap your face up because it's not good enough to look at."

"I see you like to spout nonsense. Well keep doing that, while I take that head of that body."

Tatara raised her device and took a step forward.

"As I was saying Yui san, ' .them."

Amane Shinomiya aimed these words to Yui Tatara, trying to remind the girl about the restrictions they had.

"No one asked you, blonde midget."

But it didn't look like she would be heeding his voice any soon.

"You have my praises, Shinomiya kun. It seems to take a lot of ability to keep this circus act of a lot in control."

"Ehehehe.. Thanks for that."

Amane put his right hand behind his head and smiled sheepishly at the praise he received.

"I mean it, you know. Honestly you seem to be the only normal person in the lot"

The girl finished her sentence with a sigh.

"Bimbo, you don't know who your talking to."

"If your calling him normal, I suggest you look up a dictionary for the meaning."

"Better watch what your saying, human. You'll regret it later"

The girls who were previously arguing like cats were now unified in their response. Ingnoring them Amane continued the conversation.

"Since you understand me so well, can I ask you a favour?"

"And what might that be?"

Amane looked straight at the girl and Botan, made the most cheerful face possible and said

"Will you please stop causing us anymore trouble and fall down here right now? To tell the truth it's been quite tiring to chase after you, so will you please cooperate and listen.?"

Botan was taken aback a little, then again who would expect them to say anything nice after all this. She turned her face to look at the girl.

" _Huh?"_

The girl showed no hint of apprehension to the Amane's query. Instead a small smirk was forming on her face.

"You seem _pretty_ confident in your abilities, Shinomiya kun."

"Ahaha… That's because I have a clairvoyance; I know what you're going to do before you can even think of it."

"But its not perfect is it? Because I'm sure you didn't see me interfering in the battle. But if you could see Alice's betrayal then it makes no sense that you wouldn't have seen other obstacles that would interfere."

"I'll accept that it does not give me omniscience, but it's still enough to give us and unfair edge in battle."

Amane then materialized two silver daggers in his hands, signaling that he had enough of talking.

"Well, at least your honest. I take it then that you didn't foresee this happening?"

The girl raised her right hand, index finger pointing to the sky.

As all the Akatsuki members and Botan looked upward they could see it. Even if the mist was blocking out the sky, they could see two stars: one covered in yellow light and another in pure white, descending down upon the campus. The longer they looked, it seemed as if…

"Aren't they getting closer?" Sara Bloodlily was the first to raise the question.

Like Sara suspected, the two stars where only growing in size as time passed and they seemed to be heading right for them.

"Huh, that's strange. Where are those two?"

"Did they just disappear from here?"

"To think there is a being among these lowly humans who can use flash step, they might be worth some time after all."

When they returned their sights to the ground, they found the mystery girl and Botan were missing, like they had faded into thin air. And while they wanted to locate those two….

"Now's not the time to worry about that, blockheads. We have to move!"

While they must have found it irritating to be insulted by a foul mouthed assassin, they complied and started to move. It was a good thing they did, for as soon they had moved a short distance away, the two stars crashed into the grounds. The resulting impact caused strong currents of wind to be discharged. The result, all four members and the mist surrounding the campus were blown back by the winds.

"Ow, ow, ow… That hurt"

Amane Shinomiya released a mutter as he got up. When the wind currents struck them, Rinna caught hold of Sara and pulled her onto her lion which in turn clutched the ground with its claws to anchor it self.

Being an assassin, Yui made a perfect landing after she adjusted her body to dissipate the momentum gained due to the winds. It was only him, who did not possess any martial art skill whatsoever, to be pushed against the ground.

" _How unlucky can I get? At the very least, there are no heavy injuries."_

As Amane refocused his attention, he saw a small crater at the spot where the stars had landed. He tried to approach it, but stopped after he saw two figures jump out from the small crater in opposite directions. His eyes locked on the one that had jumped away from him. What he could see was boy of the same age as him, maybe slightly older.

"Yaa… That lady sure knows how to pack a punch."

The boy muttered as he stretched and cracked his arms and shoulders, as if removing the cranks and stiffness from it.

"That was because you provoked her unnecessarily."

Amane's eyes widened in shock as he saw the traitor, Alice standing beside the boy. He was totally not expecting that. To add more confusion, Alice was holding the Kurogane siblings under his arms.

" _Wait a minute, didn't the Kurogane siblings chase after Hiraga to save the traitor from Lord Wallenstein who was at the hideout. But 'that' person was there too, so how did they reach him and make it back here alive."_

The answer that came to his mind was the obvious one, that the boy standing before him was responsible for it. Like Amane had himself stated, his ability did not grant him omniscience, the fact that he had overlooked the girl appearing proved it. So it was fine to assume that this boy too had evaded Amane's knowledge. Although, one part of this still confused him. The fact that they reached here with no scars _after_ rescuing Alice who with Wallenstein meant that they had to get through the _certain death_ that was standing that gate.

" _Come to think of it, didn't that boy just mention something about a lady punching him just now, and that impact from before. I surely saw two colours before the impact"_ he thought as he went through the incident that had happened a few moments ago.

Then it hit him. The white light he had seen, the power of the impact, the fact that Alice was standing there with the kurogane siblings and the boy mentioning a these points pointed to same direction.

" _It cant be…"_

"If your done with your mono act, would you mind moving away, Amane Shinomiya."

Amane found his eyes widening in shock for the second time of the day as he spun around to confirm what he had concluded in his mind. He was knew he was right when he saw it with his own eyes.

The picture of two pure white blades in dual wield.

The medieval armor that looked like something worn by valkyries.

The female figure and the face underneath the armor, and that voice which was soft like the wind yet caused a terrible tingle in his spine. All these could belong too only one person.

As he finished turning around, Amane had confirmed with his own two eyes that it was Twin Wings, Edelweiss who was standing before him.


End file.
